The present invention relates to tiles, especially brick tiles and to a method and kit for arranging and fixing the same.
In recent years, the importance of reducing household energy consumption has been recognised by homeowners, the construction industry and governments due to the rising cost of energy and concerns about climate change. An effective approach to reducing household energy consumption is to reduce heat loss from the building and so reduce the amount of energy required to heat the building to a comfortable temperature. Heat loss from buildings can be reduced by improving the insulating capability of the walls. The walls of many houses, for example those built in the UK since the 1920's include an air space or cavity between an outer and an inner brick or masonry wall. This air space or cavity can be filled during or after construction of the building with an insulating material. Suitable insulating materials include polyurethane, glass wool, polystyrene and natural insulating materials, for example cellulose materials and sheep's wool.
However, a significant proportion of houses, including much of current UK housing, were constructed with solid walls and therefore do not have a cavity which can be filled with insulating material. To insulate buildings constructed with solid walls, a layer of insulating material can be added to either the outside-facing surface or the inside-facing surface of the wall. If the insulating material is applied to the inside-facing surface of the wall, the size of the rooms inside the building is necessarily reduced and significant redecoration of the rooms is required. If the insulating material is added to the outside surface of the walls, the appearance of the building may be altered significantly. Once the insulating material is added to the outside surface of the walls a further layer of building material may be applied to provide the necessary weatherproof and visually appealing finish to the walls. A finish that has the appearance of a conventional brick wall is often desirable in these circumstances.
A brick finish could of course be achieved by adding a further external layer of conventional bricks. However this is an expensive option as it consumes large amounts of materials and the bricks must be laid by a skilled labourer. In addition this further adds to the increased thickness of the house and takes up space from the street or garden, which is generally undesirable. One favoured method is therefore to provide a finish with the appearance of a conventional brick wall by fixing brick tiles to the walls. Brick tiles are typically made from the same material as a conventional brick but are much thinner, and may be cut from a full brick.
Thus when fixed to a wall brick tiles (also known as brick slips) give the appearance of a standard brick finish but are much thinner. Brick tiles may be fixed to the existing structure either with adhesive or with a mechanical fastening. However the use of adhesive is a relatively recent development and thus the long term success of adhesive has not been established in practice during the normal life of a building. To ensure safety in the event that the adhesive fails, building specifiers often require that a mechanical fixing method is used above a certain height. However, currently available mechanical fixing systems are often complex to manufacture and expensive. One such system of the prior art involves providing a steel support structure and brick tiles which are moulded to engage with the support. Although such mechanical fastening systems are effective they add cost and complexity.